Hagi Honjin Hotel

Hagi Honjin is a hot spring inn famous for its “bath-hopping” experience across 14 different types of baths. Drawing from a spring pumped up from 2,000 meters underground—water that originated from groundwater accumulated over 20,000 years—you can enjoy the source in many different styles. Highlights include the “Indoor Bath,” where you can soak while enjoying views of an open Japanese garden; the “Earthen-Wall Open-Air Bath,” designed with clay walls inspired by the streetscapes of Hagi; the “Tachi no Ma,” where you can stand and soak up to your shoulders (water depth 120 cm); the “Ayumi no Ma,” where you walk in the water for exercise; the “Suiryu no Ma,” a jet bath with strong massage effects created by flowing water; the “Kaori no Ma,” with a gentle, relaxing scent; the steam bath “Shitoshito no Ma,” where you can expect a detox-like effect; the “Ashiyasumi no Ma,” for casual foot bathing; and the “Gensen no Tsubo,” where you can enjoy the inn’s own hot spring water drawn from 2,000 meters underground within the Hagi Honjin grounds. The water quality is said to be rich in ions such as sodium, chloride, and calcium, and is believed to have excellent skin-beautifying effects. Access to Hagi Honjin: by car, take the Ogori-Hagi Road via the Chugoku Expressway Minehigashi JCT, get off at “Edo IC,” and it’s about 20 minutes. By public transportation, from JR Sanyo Shinkansen “Shin-Yamaguchi Station,” it’s 90 minutes by Bocho bus, or 70 minutes by the JR Super Hagi service; other JR bus routes take about 33 minutes + 80 minutes with a transfer to reach “Higashi-Hagi Station.” From Higashi-Hagi Station, it’s about 5 minutes by car, and a shuttle service is available.